Chapter 12: 'Group'
Chapter 12: Day 6
Sighing, I leaned against a crate, fatigue weighing heavily on my shoulders. "We've spent half the day transporting all the food we looted from the town. Thankfully, those motorbikes we took made it much easier," I said, my voice tinged with exhaustion.
"Yeah, and it was a good call to unscrew the solar panels before we brought them here," Alex chimed in, his face lined with weariness.
We had been diligently moving the items we salvaged from the town to our base, our muscles aching from the exertion. "This is getting really tiring," I complained, wiping a bead of sweat from my forehead.
"Well, folks, we finished just in time! Now it's time to eat," Amy shouted, her voice filled with relief.
"Coming," Alex and I replied in unison, our hunger finally overcoming our fatigue.
As we settled down to eat, the topic of sleeping arrangements came up. Alex voiced his concern, "Hey, do I really need to sleep in a different room from you two? I mean, come on, with those things outside, I can't sleep even a minute, despite having a flashlight!"
Amy paused, contemplating his request. "Well, we still need to know if you're trustworthy or not," she explained, her eyes searching his face for any signs of deception.
Nodding in agreement, I added, "Amy has a point. We can't take any chances. It's not personal, Alex, but our survival depends on being cautious."
Alex huffed in frustration, clearly hurt by our suspicions. "Kill you? Seriously? Like I can do that sort of thing!" he exclaimed, his voice tinged with indignation.
Amy resumed eating, her expression unfazed.
"Welp, it's not like we can do anything about it now. We'll just have to wait and see. Give it a week or two, and maybe we'll still be alive by then. By the way, what's the plan?" I asked, shifting the focus of the conversation.
"Now that we've transported all this food and acquired guns, we still have a lot to do. We need to fix the solar panels, among other things. Doing all that with just the three of us will take time. That's why we'll need manpower," Amy explained, her tone filled with determination.
"Manpower?" Alex and I echoed simultaneously, the concept sinking in.
In the quiet town, the sudden explosion of a car shattered the stillness, reverberating through the desolate streets. Startled, we exchanged glances, our hearts pounding in our chests.
"Hey, do you really think this will work?" Alex whispered, his voice filled with doubt as we peered out from our hiding spot inside a nearby building, observing the aftermath of the explosion.
"We have no choice, do we? We'll just have to trust Amy. She's the leader, after all," I replied, my voice laced with a mix of apprehension and resignation.
An hour before this, "Okay, listen you two, sound attracts people, of course that's given, don't you think? well, explode a car. Of course, we're not stupid enough to just let them come. We don't trust strangers, so you two have to hide and wait for my signal." She explained the plan
We two just nodded cause she seems confident, and she's our leader.
"Hey, what's that sound?" An unknown man asked
"Don't know, probably a car," another man replied
"Help! Help! Is anyone there! help me!!" Amy shouted as planned.
"Someone's in danger! Hurry!" Their group rush in.
"Are you okay?" A man asked
Amy is wearing poor dirty reveling clothes, and she's also dirty, laying on the ground, acting injured.
The group consists of 4 men, and they also have tattered clothes. They immediately helped Amy and treated her, "Hey, are you okay?" A guy asked, "Yeah..." Amy said with a fragile voice.
"Here's some water, drink." After drinking, "Do you have some food for me to eat? I haven't eaten in days, please, mister." She clings on the random guy. She then slowly seduces the guy to the point where she's about to kiss him, "Ma'am please, you're injured." The guy declined to kiss her.
"Hey, what's that sound?" an unknown man called out, breaking the tense silence that followed the car explosion.
"Don't know, probably a car," another man responded, his voice filled with uncertainty.
Then, as planned, Amy's desperate cries for help rang out through the air. "Help! Help! Is anyone there? Help me!" she shouted, her voice filled with anguish.
"Someone's in danger! Hurry!" the group of men exclaimed, their instincts propelling them forward towards the source of the distress.
The four men, wearing tattered clothes and bearing the marks of survival, rushed to Amy's side, offering their assistance. "Are you okay?" one of them asked, concern etched on his face.
Amy, dressed in worn and dirty clothing, lay on the ground, feigning injury. She responded with a fragile voice, "Yeah..."
A man handed her some water, urging her to drink. After taking a few sips, Amy looked up at him with pleading eyes. "Do you have some food for me to eat? I haven't eaten in days, please, mister," she implored, her voice tinged with desperation. Amy then attempted to seduce the man, leaning in for a kiss. Sensing her vulnerability, the man gently declined, reminding her of her injuries.
Amy smiled, a glimmer of satisfaction in her eyes. "You passed," she declared.
Confusion and panic washed over the group as Amy stood up, revealing her true intentions. "Alright, you two, come out now," she commanded.
"Hey! What's going on!?" one of the men exclaimed, his voice laced with bewilderment.
Alex and I emerged from our hiding place, joining Amy's side. "It's a test. If you didn't decline Amy's kiss, you would probably be dead by now," I explained, my tone matter-of-fact.
Sighing, Alex voiced his frustration, "I hate this kind of thing."
"A test...?" the man muttered, his shock evident. "Well, we can't just suddenly trust a stranger, can we? You seem to be good people. How did you survive up until now?" Amy asked, seeking to understand their story.
"We're survivors from the city nearby. The military protected us, but in the end, the whole city collapsed in a single night. Thousands of them suddenly came running to the gates, overwhelming us. Wait, why the hell am I telling you all this? Shouldn't you introduce yourselves first?" the man replied, a mix of caution and curiosity in his voice.
"I'm Mico," I introduced myself.
"I'm Alex," Alex followed suit.
"And I'm Amy, the leader of this group. We're just like you, survivors from the military safe base," Amy revealed, creating a connection between their experiences.
The man listened intently, his eyes flickering with a blend of relief and wariness. "So, you've been through similar hardships. It's good to find others who understand," he said, his voice tinged with a newfound trust.
Amy nodded, a sense of camaraderie forming between them. "We've faced our fair share of challenges, but we've managed to survive so far. Our goal is to find a safe place where we can rebuild and create a future," she explained, her tone filled with determination.
The man's companions, still processing the unexpected turn of events, looked at each other and then at Amy's group. After a brief exchange of glances, one of them stepped forward. "I'm Mark, and these are my friends: Sam, Jake, and Ben," he introduced them, pointing to each person in turn.
"Nice to meet you all," Mico replied, extending a hand in greeting. Alex followed suit, shaking hands with each of them.
"So, what's your plan now? Do you have a place in mind to rebuild?" Mark inquired, curiosity evident in his voice.
Amy glanced at her comrades before speaking. "Our immediate plan is to secure our base, fix the solar panels, and gather more resources. As for a long-term plan, we're still figuring that out. We believe in strength in numbers, and with your group joining us, we'll have a better chance at building something sustainable."
The mention of joining forces sparked a glimmer of hope in Mark's eyes. "We've been searching for a community like that. It's been tough out here on our own. If we can work together, perhaps we can create something stronger," he said, a sense of optimism creeping into his voice.
Amy smiled, her leadership qualities shining through. "Together, we'll be stronger indeed. But before we proceed, we need to establish trust fully. We've gone through the test, and you've passed, but there's more to building a community than initial impressions. We'll need to get to know each other better, understand our strengths and weaknesses, and work together towards a common goal."
Mark nodded in agreement, a sense of determination etched on his face. "We're willing to do what it takes. We've learned that trust is hard to come by, but if we can find it here, it'll be worth it."
With this, a new community will establish a new history in man kind, and that will be soon.